Tire may have caused crash that killed Marlboro student

Wednesday

Dec 5, 2012 at 2:00 AMDec 5, 2012 at 7:13 AM

MARLBORO — The SUV crash that killed 16-year-old Marlboro High School sophomore Sarah Smith of Newburgh early Saturday and left two of her friends injured may have been caused in part by a blown tire, said Marlborough police Chief Gerald Cocozza on Tuesday.

BY PAULINE LIU

MARLBORO — The SUV crash that killed 16-year-old Marlboro High School sophomore Sarah Smith of Newburgh early Saturday and left two of her friends injured may have been caused in part by a blown tire, said Marlborough police Chief Gerald Cocozza on Tuesday.

"The driver indicated that he heard a loud pop," he said. "Possibly a tire blew out. We're also investigating that speed could be a possibility. We're doing measurements."

Based on findings so far, Cocozza said appears that the driver, 18-year-old Marlboro senior Devin Pierre, was not speeding when he lost control of the 1997 Ford Explorer and struck a utility pole on Western Avenue near Albertson Road at 3:30 a.m. The road has a 35 mph speed limit. The point of impact was on the passenger's side and Smith was riding unbelted in the rear passenger seat when she was ejected from the vehicle, said Cocozza. According to an autopsy by the Dutchess County Medical Examiner's Office, Smith died of a brain stem injury.

Cocozza, who spoke at several crisis counseling assemblies in the high school and middle school on Monday, wants to make sure grieving students know the facts. Pierre, who was treated and released from St. Francis, has not yet returned to school.

"We're looking to dispel some of the rumors because people have begun making allegations against the driver and the two girls and the driver was actually receiving death threats via Facebook," said Cocozza.

Police have already determined that Pierre, a running back on the varsity football team, was not under the influence of alcohol or any other substance.

Smith's 15-year-old friend who was riding in the passenger seat also heard the pop.

"It was a really loud noise coming from the back, right side of the car," said the girl, whose name is not being released by police because of her age. "After that, I remember seeing the pole and going towards it. I don't think he was speeding. It was a huge accident."

The girl said she suffered a fractured sacrum and remains under treatment at St. Francis Hospital in Poughkeepsie. She explained that Smith was unconscious, but still breathing when she found her. She said she used Smith's cell phone, which she found on the ground, to call for help.

According to the friend, the evening began as a sleepover at Smith's house, but around 11:30 p.m. they decided to leave.

"The girls decided to leave Sarah's house without parental knowledge," said Cocozza. "They ended up five miles away at Cemetery Road." He said how they got there and what they did remains under investigation.

According to Cocozza, Pierre was doing the girls a favor and giving them a lift back to Smith's house.

"Pierre was home sleeping when he received a phone call from the 15-year-old at 2:20 a.m. requesting a ride home from Cemetery Road and as a good friend, he got dressed and picked them," he said. The accident occurred less than a mile down the road.